South Carolina continues to beef up its offensive line through the transfer portal, landing a commitment from New Mexico State offensive tackle Armando Nieves on Saturday night.
Nieves brings size and experience to the Gamecocks’ front-standing 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 315 pounds, he started at right tackle last season and logged over 600 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. While his PFF grades-59.6 in run blocking and 51.2 in pass protection-suggest there’s room for refinement, the foundation is there. He’s a big-bodied lineman with game reps under his belt and the kind of frame SEC coaches love to mold.
Before his stint at New Mexico State, Nieves played his JUCO ball at Hutchinson Community College, where he was a standout in the 2025 class. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 6 offensive tackle in JUCO and No. 62 overall, regardless of position-a strong indicator of his upside and potential to develop further in a Power Five program.
A 2022 graduate of Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Nieves took the JUCO route and enrolled at Hutchinson in January 2024. His lone season there drew attention from several programs, including Marshall, Gardner-Webb, Old Dominion, and UConn. Ultimately, he chose New Mexico State, where he earned a starting role and now parlayed that experience into a shot at the SEC.
Nieves becomes the seventh offensive lineman South Carolina has added through the 2026 transfer portal cycle. He joins a group that includes Dayne Arnett (Ferris State), Carter Miller (UCF), Jacarrius Peak (NC State), Emmanuel Poku (East Carolina), Hank Purvis (Purdue), and Seth Smith (Northern Arizona).
It’s clear the Gamecocks are making the trenches a priority. With a mix of size, experience, and developmental potential across this incoming group, South Carolina is building depth and competition up front-two things every successful SEC offense needs.